This invention relates to conveyor systems and particularly to a diverter for laterally diverting objects travelling along a conveyor, for example, to a branch conveyor or delivery point.
Diverter mechanisms have been employed to laterally divert an article to a branch line or delivery station. The diverter arm is selectively operable so that certain articles may be diverted while others continue on down the conveyor line past the diverter. With today's need to move many articles at ever increasing line speeds, many diverter designs are unable to actuate in the time required to divert articles from the conveyor to a branch line or delivery station. In addition, the mechanisms used to actuate known diverters tend to result in acceleration-induced forces which increase in proportion with diverter speed, resulting in noise, fatigue, and possible eventual failure of convey or components.
Because of the ever increasing throughput of articles travelling along conveyor systems, there is a long-felt need to produce a high-speed diverter capable of operating at cycle speeds of approximately 8,000 cycles per hour, or more than 2 cycles per second, while minimizing acceleration and jerk of the diverter.